


Sleepless

by Princex_N



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Anxiety, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Literal Sleeping Together, Nightmares, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2016-11-13
Packaged: 2018-08-30 18:19:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8544070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princex_N/pseuds/Princex_N
Summary: He's in his room, in the Bureau's base. He had a nightmare and it wasn't real and he's okay and so is everybody else. 

 
 
  He repeats the thoughts to himself, over and over, but it's not helping the sick feeling in his stomach go away.





	

Angus is now eleven years old. 

That means that he's definitely too big to be scared by silly things like nightmares anymore. 

He knows that they're not real. He's the World's Greatest Detective, and it wouldn't take a genius to figure that out. He's too big to be scared by nightmares anymore, and he's  _definitely_ too big to be waking up other people at night because he's scared over a dream. 

He's eleven, and he can take care of himself. 

-

_He wasn't fast enough. He wasn't smart enough. They're dead and it's his fault and he's holding onto the stone of Farspeech so tight that the corners are digging into his palm and he's begging for someone to say something and answer him but there's nothing but droning silence on the other end and Angus-_

sits up in bed, gasping for breath. His hand hits the wall and it hurts, but the pain helps him focus and realize what's going on. 

He's in his room, in the Bureau's base. He had a nightmare and it wasn't real and he's okay and so is everybody else. 

He repeats the thoughts to himself, over and over, but it's not helping the sick feeling in his stomach go away. 

He tries, to wait it out, to get rid of it. But it won't go away. The more he thinks about the dream, the sicker he feels, and he can't stop thinking about the dream because it's something he's  _always_ afraid of now. People are depending on him now; this isn't him by himself solving some mysteries, this is him helping other people. Other people who are out in the field who are depending on him to help them out. 

And he's already messed up once. That time when the guys were in the lab to get the stone; they could have gotten hurt, and it would have been Angus' fault. He thinks about it all the time now. What could have happened, and what could still happen in the future. 

Angus pulls in a shaky breath. He should go back to bed. He should go back to sleep, because it's late and if you don't get enough sleep, you can't be on the top of your game. 

Instead, he's walking down the hallway to Taako's room. 

Angus knows that the probability of the elf being happy to see him is low, but Taako doesn't usually sleep, and so Angus shouldn't have to worry about accidentally waking him up. All he wants to do is peek in and make sure that he's okay, and then he'll probably be able to go back to sleep without a problem. 

But when he opens the door, the room is empty.

That's unusual, but not unheard of. Taako doesn't usually sleep, and there's no rule that says that he has to stay inside his room all night. 

Angus should take this as a relief. This way, no one has to know that he was scared over a nightmare. It'll be one less thing for people to tease him about. 

Instead, it's making the anxiety in his stomach worse. If Taako's not here, maybe the dream  _was_ real. Angus knows that's silly, but the moment the thought occurs to him, it sinks its claws into his brain and makes his chest tight. 

Magnus' room is right across the hall. Angus probably shouldn't, but now he  _has_ to check. He has to make sure that they're okay, and then he can go back to bed and it'll be fine.

Angus cracks open the door carefully, and peeks around the door. All he wants to do is check and make sure that Magnus is there, and then he can leave. 

And Magnus is there, it's just that he's not the  _only_ one there. Taako is there too, curled up with his neck at a weird angle so that one of his ears is pressed against Magnus' chest. Listening? 

Angus doesn't know, and it's none of his business. He got what he needed, confirmation that Magnus, and Taako, are okay. So now he can go back to bed, no problem. 

The problem is that as soon as Angus moves to leave, Magnus' head jerks up to look at the door, and Angus lets out a little squeak of incrimination. 

"Ango?" Magnus asks, his voice thick, "What are you doing here?" 

Angus should lie. This is embarrassing enough on its own without having to explain the thought processes that led him here, but Angus has never been the  _best_ liar, not when he doesn't have a story prepared beforehand. So instead of a lie that would get him out of here quick, he winds up stammering, "Um, I had a uh, nightmare," like a little kid. 

Magnus' mouth quirks with sympathy. "There's a lot of those going around tonight," he says, and Angus nods because he doesn't know what else to do. 

He's about to try and excuse himself like a proper adult so that he can go back to his room and quietly die of embarrassment, when Taako twists around to look at him, taking in the way the boy is gripping the front of his sleep shirt and rocking back and forth nervously on his heels, and then Taako rolls his eyes exaggeratedly, "Come here,  _bubula_." 

Angus shoots a look at Magnus, since it is his room and his bed, which earns him another eye roll from Taako before Magnus nods, and Angus approaches cautiously. 

He doesn't really know what he's expecting Taako to do, but it's not for Taako to roll over, grab him around the middle, and then just haul him into the bed, pressed into the space between Magnus' and Taako's bulk. It hadn't been that at all. 

But the next thing Angus knows, he's squished in there, with Taako's arm tucked around him, and Magnus' arm over both him and Taako. 

"Shut up and go to sleep," Taako orders sleepily, settling back down. Magnus makes a noise that could be one of agreement. 

It takes a moment for Angus to relax, because this is unusual, but it is nice. It's comfortable and it feels safe, if a bit warm. And it's late, and Angus is tired from the come down from all that anxiety, and so he curls into that borderline uncomfortable warmth and shuts his eyes, and sleeps better than he has in weeks. 

**Author's Note:**

> for those curious; magnus had a dream about julia, taako had one where he was finally able to cook for the boys but encountered a glamorsprings 2.0 scenario (which is why he was listening to Magnus' heartbeat)  
> EDIT: @cosmiccluck on tumblr [drew fanart for this fic](http://cosmiccluck.tumblr.com/post/153595611417/some-sleepy-boys-inspired-byfanart-for) and omg they look so precious!! i'm crying, it's gorgeous   
> EDITx2: @artbychromo drew art for this fic too!!! [Look at this!!](http://artbychromo.tumblr.com/post/160064035791/alright-cool-finished-it-if-youre-in-the-mood-for) I'm in awe 
> 
> [my tumblr](http://www.princex-n.tumblr.com).


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